Food handling apparatus



Feb. 8, 1944. a. R. WOOD FOOD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 18, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. GEORGE R WOOD A T TORNEY Feb. 8, 1944. G. R. WOOD FOOD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 18, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 inL FIG.

ENVENTOR. GEORGE R. wooo BY W ATTORNEY Feb. 8; 1944. R w

FOOD HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 18. 1942 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR. GEORGE R. WOOD ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 8, 1944 2 341355. E991? aANDL ePPARArUS applicant:

e e? on August I8, 1942;, gerialzNo. 455,234

M ni i Quebec Qa a a sof Scale company, 'Tol ed o;

This. inve ti n e a e o o d in p ratus of the inwhioh a "commodity tolie S i e arries in m l it my a t an ekposed edgef'of; a circular "rotary knife, '9; slice f emmq it be n e er du i i e c s bk and; it relates more particularly tofin'ejans for gaugingthethiekn ess of; slices to be severed;

In machines of-' the type described a gauge late s. 'ue'l ii' means. t base of the'ma h ne wi h e qf i ed e cl e it cen h x sed. tti 'd' jqi e. "r f rs" q l knife. n with its s n a n ub tially parallel to thefplane oi rotation of the knife. Ai gauge plate so 'mounted is usually ad J'ustable up to; and away from; the plane of rota t 9? the kn o v h hickne s of slices severed from a commodity moved along itsi ace ns past the. cutting. edge offthefkn if e.

A gauge, plate of this type must easily be adustable to; vary the thickness'of slices to be severed; be mounted in such away that it can be moved longitudinally toward the huh of the rotary. circular'knifa' as the diameter of the knife is decreased bysharpening, to keep the edge ofthe gauge plate, closely adjacent the edge,

o f' he knif iee w b e it 9' as to afford as, few dirt and grease catching projections and crevices aspossilole.

It is an object of this invention to provide a gauge plate mounting which will firmly hold a gauge plate. substantially parallel to the plane of rotation ofa slicing machine knife without any. exposed fastenings, screw heads, nuts or bolts.

It is another object of this invention to, provide means for adjusting the position of a gauge plate to vary the thickness of slices severed by a rotary circular knife which is positive and easy to operate.

It is a further. object of this invention to, provide means'for mounting a gauge plate with one of its edges closely adjacent the cutting edge of a rotary circular knife, such mounting being. adjustable to pe rmit the gauge plate to he moved to compensate for a decrease in diameter of the rotary circular knife due to sharpening.

More specific objects and advantages are ap parent from the description, in which reference is h s to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of slicing machine embodyin}; the invention.

In the drawings Fig. I is a View, partly in section and partly in a id f f 51m ns ma e ii co q t mbodyingthe'invention.

Fig. II is. a fragmentary, View, taken substantially, from the position indicated. by the line II -IL in Fig. I. l

Fig. III is. a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view of. a portion'of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. II.

' Fig. IV is a fragmentary detailed view, taken substantially. on theline in Fig. III.

Fig. V- is. a fragmentary view, in elevation, taken from the left side'of Fig. I and shown on a smaller. scale.

Fig. VI is a vertical sectional View, taken sub stanliially on the line VI--vIi-1"1 Fig. II.

These specific drawings and the specific description that follows merely disclose and illusmate the invention and are'not intended to 'imposelimitations upon the claims.

A slicing machine embodying the invention comprisesa h'as'e. 'I'0 upon which'is erected a driveho'usingll enclosingmeans (not shown) for mountinganddriving a rotary circular knife 42. A commodity tray i3 is mounted (by 'means not shown) for reciprocation past a forward exposed portion 14 (Figs. II andV) of. the knife I 2 to carry a commodity pastthe knife'edge'so that a'slice is severed therefrom. The knife I2 is guardedby' means of a knife guard I5- which is' mounted -on the drive housing" 'I I. A gauge plate I'Bfis' mounted above the base H) with its forwa face IT lying in aplane'parallel'to the plane "of the cutting edge l4 of'the knife '2. When a co'mmodityis supported'by the tray 13, it is forced (byg'r'avity in the embodiment of the invention shown'l' against" the face ll of' the gau'ge'plate l'iifand is slid therealong past the edge of the knife/l2. 'A slice of commodity severed'by'the knife l2f'is defiected'hy a deflector plate I8 (Figsl I and V) onto a slice-receiver I9. The g uge plate {5 is mounted above the base i qf'withj its" face'l-lpaifallelto the plane of the cuttin'edgie lfio'f the'kni'f e I2; hymeans of a augeplat bracket which has a hollow'platelike section ZTlocated atthe'rear oi the gauge 'platelfi. The gauge plate bracket 2-0 has 'two arms 22 which iten'd' through" elongated apertures Zil'in'th side ofthebase'lfl abovethe slicereceiver l9 and have machined channels 24 in their undersiirface. Thear'ms 22 are mounted by means of two bolt's'25' upon two machined surfaceslfi on the upper side of a' gauge plate frame '2'! located 'withih th base l0. A pair of tenons '28, formed on the machined surfaces 26, areengaged the machined channels 2'4 of the auge. plate and gauge plate mounting. means arms 22. The channels and tenons extend substantially horizontally at right angles to the direction of thickness adjustment of the gauge plate l6 and in the direction in which the gauge plate l6 must be moved to compensate for reduction in the diameter of the knife l2 due to sharpening. The bolts 25 extend through elongated holes 29 in the frame 21 and are threaded into the arms 22 of the gauge plate bracket 20. The holes 29 are elongated in the direction in which the gauge plate is adjusted to compensate for reduction in size of the knife l2.

The gauge plate frame 21 is an open framework substantially 8-shaped and having two sleeves 36 and 3| located at its lower corners. A pair of rods 32 are secured in the sleeves 3|! and 3| by means of set screws 33, each rod 32 being slidable in a pair of bored angular bosses 34 and 35 located on the interior of the frame Ill. The axes of the bores in the bosses 34 and the bosses 35 are substantially perpendicular to the face l1 of the gauge plate I6, and thus the sliding movement of the rods 32 in the bosses 34 and 35 moves the gauge plate frame 21, gauge plate bracket 20 and gauge plate l6 in such direction to vary the thickness of slices severed by the knife I2. I

The gauge plate It is mounted on the hollow plate-like section 2| of thegauge plate bracket 20 by means of pins 36, which are welded to a rear face 31 of the gauge plate It and engaged in clips 38 secured in a pair of brackets 39, which are in turn attached to the plate-like section 2| by means of screws 40 threaded into bosses 4| on the interior of the plate-like section 2|. The screws 4|] pass through oversized holes 42 in the brackets 39.

After the gauge plate frame and gauge plate bracket have been assembled, a master gauge plate (not shown) (which is substantially identical to the illustrated gauge plate I5, with the exception that it has four holes through it over the location of the heads of the screws 45 and that the pins on the master gauge plate, which enter the clips 38, are of slightly smaller diameter than the pins 36 on the illustrated gauge plate I6) is placed on the plate-like supporting section 2| of the gauge plate bracket 20 in the position in which the gauge plate I6 is to be mounted. Since the heads of the screws 4|] are accessible through the above-mentioned holes in the master gauge plate they can be 1o0sened,-and after adjustment of the position of the gauge plate so that its edge adjacent the exposed portion M of the knife I2 is concentric therewith, the screws 40 are tightened, fixing the brackets 39 in place. The master gauge plate is then removed. Thereafter when the pins 36 of the illustrated gauge plate It, which have a slightly larger diameter than the similar pins on the master gauge plate, are inserted in the clips 38 the gauge plate is permanently and securely fixed in place with its rear face 31. against the turned-over edges of the platelike section 2| of the gauge plate bracket and with its knife-adjacent edge permanently concentric with the cutting edge M of the knife l2. (Only the diameter of the knife is reduced by sharpening, its edge remaining circular at all times.)

The gauge plate frame 21 and the rods 32 are movable in the bosses 34 and 35, to adjust the position of the gauge plate face l1 relative to the plane of the cutting edge M of the knife l2, by the engagement of a rack 43 bolted on the forward side of the gauge plate frame 21 with a pinion 44 located on the innermost end of an indicating knob shaft 45. The shaft 45 is rotatably journaled in a bored boss 46 formed on the front wall of the base ID. The shaft 45 passes through a shouldered bore in the center of an indicating knob 41, which is located on the exterior of the front wall of the base I!) and is keyed to the shaft 45 by means of a Woodrufi key 48. A coiled spring 49 surrounds the shaft 45 and is located in the hollow interior of the knob 41, being compressed between a shoulder 50 on the shaft 45 and a stop member 5| which has a tab 52 engaged in a keyway 53 in the shaft 45. The opposite surface of the stop member 5| is engaged with one surface of a disk 54, which is located on the exterior of the wall of the base I0 and has an indicator 55 formed in its upper edge which overlies the conical periphery of the indicator knob 41. The indicator knob 4'! and shaft 45 are held in place in the bored boss 46 by means of a castellated nut 56 which is threaded on the innermost end of the shaft 45, acting against a washer 51 to compress the spring 49 and a resilient washer 58 located between the washer 51 and the innermost face of the boss 46. The castellated nut 55 is locked in place by a cotter pin 59, which 7 passes through a hole in the shaft 45 and is engageable in the slots of the castellated nut 55. The tension of the spring 49 and resilient washer 58 applies sufiiclent friction to hold the indicator knob 41. shaft 45 and pinion 44 against any tendency to rotate that might be caused by the force of gravity acting on the gauge plate, gauge plate bracket and gauge plate frame 21, but is not enough to interfere with rotation of the knob 41 to adjust the gauge plate H5.

The stop member 5| has a keystone-shaped section 6|], the opposite sides of which are engageable with a pin 6|, which is forced into a bore 62 in the outer wall of the base l0 and which projects through the disk 54 (thus holding the disk 54 against rotation) to limit the movement of the gauge plate. When the keystone section Gfl'is engaged with the pin 6| as shown in Fig. IV, the face H of the gauge plate i6 lies in the plane'of the cutting edge M of the knife I2, and the indicator 55 of the disk 54 is in registration with the zero indiciurn of a series of indicia 63 scribed 0n the conical periphery of the indicator knob 41. The opposite shoulder of the keystoneshaped section of the stop member 5| establishes the maximum distance to which the gauge plate is movable and the maximum thickness of slice which can be severed from a commodity moved along the face I"! of the gauge plate past the cutting edge of the knife l2.

The embodiment of the invention that has been disclosed may be modified to meet Various requirements.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a slicing machine having a base and a rotatable circular knife, in combination, a gauge plate bracket supported on said base, means for adjusting said gauge plate bracket transversely to the plane of rotation of said knife, a gauge plate mounted on said bracket with its face substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of said knife, and self-engaging securing means for mounting said gauge plate on Said bracket, said last named means being located entirely between adjacent sides of said gauge plate and said bracket, the exterior of said gauge plate and bracket being free from dirt-catching projections and crevasses.

2. In a slicing machine having a base and a rotatable circular knife, in combination, a gauge plate bracket supported on said base, means for adjusting said gauge plate bracket transversely to the plane of rotation of said knife, a gauge plate mounted on said bracket with its face substantially parallel to the plane of rotation of said knife, and means for mounting said gauge plate on said bracket, said last named means comprising self-engaging securing means mounted on that face of said bracket adjacent said gauge plate and on that face of said gauge plate adja- 10 cent said bracket, whereby when said gauge plate is mounted on said bracket said securing means are concealed, the exterior surfaces of said gauge plate and said bracket being free from dirt-catching projections or crevasses, said securing means being preliminarily adjustable whereby the gauge plate is properly located when applied to the bracket.

GEORGE R. WOOD. 

